Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf demands trial of former PM Imran Khan's secretary in cypher case

Islamabad [Pakistan], March 5 : Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General, Omar Ayub Khan, urged for the trial of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's military secretary in the diplomatic cable case, as reported by Geo News.

Speaking outside the Parliament House, Ayub, accompanied by PTI's newly elected chairman, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, emphasized that keeping the cypher documents safe was the responsibility of the then-prime minister's military secretary.

Ayub stated, "If the case is to proceed, it should be proceeded against these persons [military secretary]."

According to Geo News, PTI founder Imran Khan and senior leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi were each sentenced to 10 years in the cypher case in January 2024.

Ayub further demanded a "judicial inquiry" into the cyphergate case.

Responding to PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's address in the lower house of parliament, Ayub criticized Bilawal's use of unparliamentary language and questioned his understanding of the cypher's mechanism, as per Geo New.

Barrister Gohar Ali Khan expressed the party's determination to move forward despite challenges. He criticized the ruling alliance, labelling them "crises" and asserting their inability to address the country's challenges.

Earlier, responding to remarks by the PPP chairman regarding the cypher case, former NA speaker Asad Qaiser called for the constitution of a judicial commission to investigate the controversy. Qaiser highlighted the alleged crackdown on party leadership and stressed PTI's commitment to principles.

The controversy unfolded on March 27, 2022, when Imran Khan, just a month before his ouster in April 2022, alleged a foreign conspiracy. Waving a cypher letter at a public rally, he claimed collusion between a foreign nation and his political rivals to overthrow the PTI government.

While he didn't disclose the letter's contents, he later accused the United States, stating that Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu sought his removal.

The National Security Committee (NSC) issued a "strong demarche" to the US on March 31, denouncing interference. Despite finding no evidence of a foreign conspiracy post-Imran's removal, subsequent leaks implicated the former prime minister, Asad Umar, and Azam in discussing the US cypher's use.

In August 2023, a foreign outlet published the alleged text of the diplomatic cypher, supporting Imran's claims of US involvement. The Federal Investigation Agency filed an FIR against Imran and Qureshi under the Official Secrets Act.

By October 2023, Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain indicted both Imran and Qureshi, accusing Imran of "illegally retaining and wrongly communicating" the cypher.

In November, the Islamabad High Court deemed the proceedings illegal, leading to a fresh trial initiated by Judge Zulqarnain on December 13. On January 30, the special court sentenced Imran and Qureshi to 10 years in jail under the Official Secrets Act.

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